Accrediting MIS Programs: AACSB, ABET, or Both?

1. Accrediting MIS Programs: AACSB, ABET, or Both? by Thomas Hilton, Ph.D. And Maria Stone MIS Department College of Business University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire Presented at IACIS 2003, Las Vegas

2. Overview • Resources • Accreditation in General • Credentials Comparison • Scope/Eligibility Comparison • Method Comparison • Standards Comparison • Points of Convergence • Points of Divergence • Where Next

3. Resources • AACSB Accreditation Standardshttp://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/business/standards-4-25.pdf • ABET Accreditation Policy & Procedure Manualhttp://www.abet.org/images/Criteria/A004%2003-04%20Accredition%20Policy%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%2011-13-02.pdf • CAC Criteria for Accrediting Computing Programshttp://www.abet.org/images/Criteria/C001%2003-04%20CAC%20Criteria%206-7-03.pdf

4. Accreditation Pros Cons • Official Approval of a Trusted Entity • Content Assurance • Process Assurance • Assurance to External Stakeholders • Guide for Internal Stakeholders • “Membership” • Cost • Loss of Independence • Departure from the Status Quo • Loss of “Membership”

5. AACSB Credentials • Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business • Business Heritage • Started Accrediting in 1919 • 452 Business Schools Accredited • Added Accounting Accreditation in 1980 • 163 Accounting Programs Accredited • Upholds ASPA Code of Good Practice for Accrediting Bodies of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors • Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

6. ABET Credentials • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology • Engineering Heritage • Started Accrediting in 1933 • Number of Programs Accredited: • 748 Engineering (EAC) • 719 Technology (TAC) • 197 Computing (CAC) • 190 Computer Science • 7 Information Systems • 66 Applied Science (ASAC) • Computer Science Accreditation Board (CSAB) joined ABET in 2000 as the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) • CAC Added IS Accreditation in 2002 • Recognized by National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), etc. • Recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) • No relationship with AACSB

7. AACSB Scope/Eligibility • Permanently Organized Unit • Goal: preparation of students to enter useful professional and societal lives • Emphasize conceptual reasoning, problem-solving skills, and lifelong learning • All Bachelor or Graduate Business Degrees (25% undergrad., 50% grad.) • Majority of Programs have graduates for at least two years • “Traditional” Subjects: ACCT, B-Law, DS, Fin., HR, Mgt., MIS, Mgt. Sci., Mktg., OM, OB, Org. Dev., Strat. Mgt., SCM, Tech. Mgt. • Diverse students and faculty per mission: culture, nationality, ethnicity, economic status, gender, religion • Ethics: Professional and Personal Codes of conduct for faculty, administrators, students • One accreditation granted for the set of programs reviewed • Full Disclosure and Good Faith Effort • Excludable: degree programs subject to accreditation by non-business accreditation societies • Excludable: specialized degree programs; e.g., hotel and restaurant management, engineering management, health management, agribusiness, public administration

8. ABET/CAC Scope/Eligibility • Part of a regionally or nationally accredited higher education institution • Goal: produce professionals practicing across the broad spectrum of computing disciplines • Computer Science or Information Systems • Individual baccalaureate degree programs; different emphases/options may be accredited separately, but it’s desirable to minimize this (e.g., BBA with MIS major) • Students have graduated at least once • Sound foundation in science and mathematics

9. AACSB Method • Application with list of included degree programs • Pay ~$20,000 plus $3,500 per year • Preparation: multi-year Precandidacy, Candidacy • Self Evaluation (including more preparation?) • Peer Review • Notification Report • Annual Reporting • Five-year Renewal

10. ABET/CAC Method • Preparation (faculty, curriculum, students, administration, facilities, commitment) • Application • Self-Study • Pay ~$6,150 then $230 per year • On-Site Visit (can include objective observers to assure process integrity) • Notification Report • Interim reviews if prescribed in the Notification Report • Six-year Renewal (Two-year if weaknesses noted) scheduled with other CAC-accredited programs (e.g., CS) • Evidently can take as little as two years

11. AACSB Standards • Strategic Management: Mission Statement, Mission Appropriateness, Student Mission, Continuous Improvement , Financial Strategies • Participants: Student Admission/Retention, Staff, Faculty, Support Planning, Career dev., School Culture, Individual Faculty Responsibility, Individual Student Responsibility • Learning: Core Content Specifics, Undergraduate education, Master’s education, Doctoral Education “The school must specify learning goals for each separate degree program. Generally, such goals are anticipated for each degree, not for separate majors or concentrations within a degree. For example, a school may offer a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree with defined majors in finance, marketing, human resource management, operations management, and general management. A set of learning goals for the BSBA degree can be provided; goals for each major (while they may, or may not, be developed for the school's use) would not be required for accreditation review purposes. However, if the school also offers degrees at the undergraduate level called Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems (BSMIS) and Bachelor of Arts in International Management (BAIM), each of those degrees would require a specification of its learning goals.”

12. ABET/CAC Standards • Objectives and Assessments: Have ‘em, use ‘em • Students: Treat ‘em right • Faculty: Must be qualified; majority should hold terminal degrees; some must have a Ph.D. in IS or closely related area • Curriculum • IS: at least 30 semester-hours, 12 in core, 12 in advanced content • IS Environment: at least 15 semester-hours in a cohesive body of environment knowledge (e.g., Business, Medicine, Education, etc.) • Quantitative Analysis: at least 9 semester-hours • Beyond pre-calculus (college algebra won’t count) • Statistics • Calculus or discrete mathematics • Additional: at least 30 Gen. Ed. semester-hours • Technology Infrastructure • Institutional Support and Financial Resources • Program Delivery • Institutional Facilities

13. Points of Convergence • Vague AACSB learning goals complement specific CAC curriculum specifications • Business core and Gen. Ed. requirements are compatible • Student, faculty, facilities, and finance, technology requirements are compatible

14. Points of Divergence • Quantitative analysis requirements may not mesh • Will CAC will count Economics, Accounting, Production management, etc.? • AACSB is college- and business-oriented; ABET/CAC is program- and engineering-oriented • IS is more technical than AACSB but less technical ABET/CAC

15. Where Next? • Standards are largely compatible; hence dual accreditation seems feasible • Will ABET accreditation be construed by business deans as IS “unionizing”? • Will accreditation mean loss of independence? • Once accredited, would losing it be a death-blow? • How meaningful is Engineering-related accreditation to stakeholders (e.g., other business disciplines)? • Does CS/IS accreditation by CAC finally end turf battles, or does it invite uncomplimentary comparisons?